Party time
Art of towing Captains speak on pulling tenders.
B1 Happy faces aplenty at The Triton birthday bash.
A bad deal
Beware brokers dangling kickbacks.
A22-23
Perfect boat only in the eye of the beholder Preparing for this month’s captains’ Bridge luncheon, it occurred to us that we’ve never talked about yachts. We’ve talked about life and work on a yacht, yacht dealings and yacht repairs, but never about the machine itself. So this month we asked the question, what does the From the Bridge perfect megayacht Lucy Chabot Reed look like? Just to be clear, we didn’t ask about the perfect job or the perfect boss, although those issues came up a few times. As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in a photograph on page A18. We wanted to know what sort of machine yacht captains considered just right in terms of the body, the guts, the brains, etc. The short answer came quickly. “There is no such thing,” one captain said, almost in unison with several others. Followed immediately by, “What do you want it for?” “The perfect boat,” one captain said, “begins with defining the mission statement of the owner.” There was a lot of discussion about trying to get owners to decide what they want to use their yachts for and buying the right one for that purpose, instead of buying what is popular at the moment or what they think is attractive. “I do a lot of consultation with owners on rebuilding of yachts,” a captain said. “I always ask them, what do you want the boat for? They don’t know. If they knew what they wanted it for, they will enjoy their boat much more.” But what is it you like to be in command of? What parts of a boat matter to you when you do your job? “A walk around,” one captain said. “So many owners want the full salon, but that means me and my crew are doing the walk of death to tie lines or
See BRIDGE, page A18
SHIP HER ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
A19
Officials try to halt bribes for dockage in the Med By Lucy Chabot Reed
“If there’s an axel in the marine industry, this is where it is,” said Ed Brillinger, a business owner behind Lester’s for more than 20 years. “Everything goes out from here. This is where it all happens.” Just what is behind Lester’s? A driveby revealed no fewer than 88 businesses immediately identifiable as directly related to the large yacht industry, offering equipment, parts, service, repairs and support. There are at least a dozen engines shops, 10 welders, nine carpenters, and six canvas shops. And, of course, some of the largest and oldest businesses in town are there, including National Marine Suppliers,
Laurent Monsaingeon, director with the French Riviera Ports Authority, is urging megayacht captains and other transient boaters through the Côte d’Azur this season not to tip or bribe dockmasters for slips. The French Riviera Chamber of Commerce operates the four ports of Nice, Cannes, Golfe-Juan and Villefranche-Darse. In a statement released recently, Monsaingeon wrote: “We are very much involved in the development of these ports, as a tool to sustain the economy of boating and yachting industries, but also the attractiveness of the Côte d’Azur. “However, the lack of temporary or permanent berthing for yachts is a serious disadvantage that we are trying to lessen through a continuous improvement of our procedures: waiting lists, berth allocation rules, etc., aiming at full transparency and equality of access and treatment in our ports. “I ask very formally all boating and yachting professionals who are concerned with this issue to make sure that the regulations and laws are fully respected, and more specifically the prohibition of any incentive tip or gift. [Emphasis supplied.] “If this prohibition is not followed, there is a risk of criminal procedure for corruption (French criminal code article 432-10 and following, and article 433-1 and following.) “We hope that these measures, together with our efforts to expand and create new ports, will assist the development of the yachting profession.” When asked about the statement, several yacht captains who frequent the Mediterranean laughed. They requested their names not be printed
See BEHIND LESTER’S, page A16
See RIVIERA, page A14
Dockwise Yacht Transport has delivered M/Y Magic across the Atlantic seven times. Learn some preparation tips from her seasoned captain in a story on page A10. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPT. MAC McDONALD
What’s behind Lester’s? Everything that you need By Capt. David Hare Ft. Lauderdale emerged decades ago as the center of a burgeoning global yachting industry. While the modern industry has outgrown Ft. Lauderdale in some ways, many of the mom-andpop business owners who are experts at taking care of boats are still there. You can find them behind Lester’s. For every captain and crew member charged with taking care of a yacht, that address – “behind Lester’s” – is as chic as any on 17th Street Causeway. In a 10-block grid behind the nearly 40-year-old diner on State Road 84, crew can find everything from paint brushes and blue tape to flags, welders and a side of beef.